DictionarycowDomestic bovine
noun

cow

KOW/kaʊ/

An adult female bovine or other large mammal.

The dairy cow stands with her udder clearly visible.

A single adult dairy cow standing in a clear three-quarter side view, with her mature body and visible udder making the female bovine meaning recognizable.
Etymology

Old English cu already named the animal. The modern meaning preserves that basic sense: a female bovine, with dairy cattle a particularly familiar example.

In context

Dairy Council of California2:36
to already be 900 pounds by the time a cow is two years of age that animal is almost a fully grown adult
Virtual Dairy Farm Tour: Konyn Dairy Farm Escondido, CA

More examples

  • The farmer milks the cows every morning.
  • The cow nurses her newborn calf.
  • A cow moose leads her calf through the woods.

Forms

cow · cows

Similar words

bovine
Includes cattle of either sex and any age.
heifer
Specifically a young female bovine that has not calved.